Luke 5:31

And Jesus, answering, said to them: Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He castigates the scribes and Pharisees, who, considering themselves just, avoided the company …

It is reproved secondly from the light of evident truth, when it is added: Jesus answering said to them: They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. This is self-evident, because, as it is said in Ecclesiasticus thirty-eight, "Honor the …

)-- that he has a particular regard to the sick, to sinners as his patients, convinced awakened sinners, that see their need of the Physician--that he came to call sinners, the worst of sinners, to repentance, and to assure them of pardon, upon repentance,

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

And Jesus answering, said unto them,....

The verses we have now read, ought to be deeply interesting to every one who knows the value of his immortal soul, and desires salvation. They describe the conversion and experience of one of Christ's earliest disciples. We also, are all by nature born in sin, and need conversion. Let us see what we know of the mighty change. Let us compare our own experience with that of the man whose case is here described — and by comparison learn wisdom. We are taught, in this passage — the power of Christ's calling grace.

IF you had never heard that passage before, you would be almost certain to know where to look for it. It must be in the Gospel according to Luke, for Luke was the beloved physician and, therefore, while taking notes of our Savior's discourses, he would be able to record anything that would be likely to strike upon a physician's ear and to be stamped upon his memory. Matthew and Mark also record this saying of our Lord, but Luke would have special reasons for mentioning it. What a noble answer this was to the insinuations of Christ's enemies!

The verses we have now read, ought to be deeply interesting to every one who knows the value of his immortal soul, and desires salvation. They describe the conversion and experience of one of Christ's earliest disciples. We also, are all by nature born in sin, and need conversion. Let us see what we know of the mighty change. Let us compare our own experience with that of the man whose case is here described — and by comparison learn wisdom. We are taught, in this passage — the power of Christ's calling grace. We read that our Lord called a tax-collector named Levi to become one of His disciples. This man belonged to a class who were a very proverb for wickedness among the Jews. Yet even to him our Lord says, "Follow Me!" We read furthermore, that such mighty influence on Levi's heart accompanied our Lord's words, that although "sitting at his tax booth," when called — he at once got up, left everything, followed Jesus, and became His disciple. We must never despair of any one's salvation, so long as he lives — after reading a case like this. We must never say of anyone that he is too wicked , or too hardened , or too worldly — to be saved. No sins are too many, or too bad — to be forgiven. No heart is too hard or too worldly — to be changed. He who called Levi still lives, and is the same that He was 1800 years ago. With Christ, nothing is impossible! How is it with ourselves? This, after all, is the grand question. Are we waiting, and delaying, and hanging back — under the idea that the cross is too heavy, and that we can never serve Christ? Let us cast such thoughts away at once and forever. Let us believe that Christ can enable us by His Spirit to give up all, and come out from the world. Let us remember that He who called Levi, never changes. Let us take up the cross boldly, and go forward.

IF you had never heard that passage before, you would be almost certain to know where to look for it. It must be in the Gospel according to Luke, for Luke was the beloved physician and, therefore, while taking notes of our Savior's discourses, he would be able to record anything that would be likely to strike upon a physician's ear and to be stamped upon his memory. Matthew and Mark also record this saying of our Lord, but Luke would have special reasons for mentioning it. What a noble answer this was to the insinuations of Christ's enemies! He was sitting down with publicans and sinners—they had been invited to a feast by Levi, that is, Matthew. The scribes and Pharisees shrugged their shoulders and said they could very readily guess what kind of character Jesus of Nazareth was, for a man is known by the company he keeps. What an overwhelming reply Christ gave them! "Where should I be," the Physician of Souls seems to say, "but with those who most need My services? I need not come into yourcompany, for you consider yourselves to be whole. But these publicans and sinners are, according to your way of speaking, to be regarded as sick—where should I be but with those who need to be healed?" Christ, in associating with sinners, did not at all condone their sin. When He proved Himself to be the Friend of publicans and sinners, it was not that He would lessen the infinite distance between Divine Perfection and human guilt, but only that, coming down to man's fallen estate, He might lift him up.